A new project: making an etching tank

The making of my own PCB’s is getting better and better. But etching them takes a lot of time. So I want to speed up the etching process. I watched a lot of etching video on Youtube and searched for other information. To see how other do that and what kind of equipment they use.

Soon I discovered that using an etching tank have great benefits. Such as speeding up the etch process itself. So I decided to make one myself. Buying one is too expensive and too easy, I also want to learn something.

My etching tank must contain (at least) 1 liter of sodium persulfate, a heating element and an air pump to keep the fluid moving, which speeds up the etching. Why a heating element? Well for the best result, the etching fluid must be 40-50 degrees Celsius.

Finding the right heating element wasn’t easy. A normal element for a fish tank wasn’t suitable because they aren’t warm enough. They are heating till 32 degrees Celsius (because the fishes are cooked 😉 ). In the end, I did found an element which fulfilled my needs. I ordered one via Ebay, and in just a couple of days, it arrived. This element is for 12v and is capable of delivering 80w of heat. Which should be enough for heating till 80 degree Celsius.

In my very first vlog, you will see this element working.

The plan is to make a circuit, which will measure the temperature of the fluid and switch the element on and off. But also controlling the bubble flow.